This invention relates generally to portable cooling devices and, more particularly, to a thermoelectrically powered insulated cooler attachable to a motorcycle for keeping food and beverage items cold while riding.
Insulated coolers filled substantially filled with crushed ice are common for keeping food and beverage items cool during picnics, sporting events, and even long road trips in the car. Unfortunately, filling a traditional ice chest with ice has several disadvantages that make their use undesirable in some circumstances. For instance, the cooler becomes very heavy once filled with ice and makes transporting it from a vehicle to a final location (or the first of several locations) very difficult, especially for children or persons of small stature. Further, the ice eventually melts, despite any degree of insulation, and the cooler remains just as heavy while food items may become soggy or even spoil.
The problems described above are elevated even more if such a cooler is transported on a motorcycle. Persons who ride a motorcycle have a similar desire to carry food and beverage items in a cooled environment for consumption at a destination location, e.g. a picnic, at the beach, etc, or along the way during a long road trip. A large and heavy cooler is not feasible to attach to a motorcycle for space reasons or because of the weight imbalance it would create while operating the motorcycle.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a thermoelectric insulated cooler apparatus that is configured for attachment to a motorcycle and which does not upset the natural balance of the motorcycle nor require any ice. Further, it would be desirable to have a thermoelectric insulated cooler apparatus that includes a thermoelectric assembly that produces cold thermal energy when electrically energized by the motorcycles battery. In addition, it would be desirable to have a thermoelectric insulated cooler apparatus having anti-theft features to eliminate concern of theft when the motorcycle is parked at a restaurant, rest stop, or the like.